Too young?

[frustration]

Hey, newly, unofficially diagnosed here. I'm 16. 5'3", 185 pounds but that's after losing 10 pounds in a span of a month which I suspect is a symptom.

A few months ago, I got diagnosed as almost borderline. My doctor said in a few weeks, I might become borderline. Well, it's been 2 months, and I think I've become diabetic.

2 months prior, I didn't know much about diabetes, I didn't know what to eat and when. So, I figured, I've dieted before, and it's just like that, right? I continued eating healthy, but if I hate something unhealthy, all I did was skip dinner. Eat fast food, don't eat anything else for the day. Eat ice cream and crepes, don't eat anything else.

And I think that stuff got me to the point of diabetes. My test is soon, but I am certain I have it. I'm just frustrated because I could've avoided it. I've been overweight my entire life, I've gone through through eating disorders --- then to becoming less insecure and this was the result. It feels like I messed up my life before it even started.

Now, I have to constantly eat low-carb meals and be the odd one of out for the rest of my life. For many people, it starts when they're 30 or 40 or even later. But it started for me before I even graduated. Let's say I live until I am 70. I have to live with this illness for 50+ years...

I don't have a family history of diabetes and although I am obese, it's shocking that it just straight went to diabetes.

I don't know how I am going cope with this and I am very scared. Thinking about my blood sugars, living a "healthy" lifestyle that is constricting, never having "good" food, and having a progressively worsening disease? I can't do it.

There is no one my age who's dealing with this that I know. I have talked to my friends and all they can do is give me comforting words. Looking online, all I find it contradicting or negative information. It seems like there's no hope.

I know it may seem funny that I am dreading a "healthy" lifestyle so much but food is a big part of life, of youth. Most of all I feel embarrassed. "Oh, I am diabetic because I didn't lose weight in time. Sorry, I can't eat anything during this party, I might die."

Is anyone here my age who's dealing with this? Has anyone felt these things here? Has anyone "reversed" their diabetes and is living normally? I just need hope, or comfort. I'm so frustrated.

 

[zand]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

I want to just mention a couple of things. Firstly, T2 often starts as insulin resistance for perhaps many years. This means that the body can't use the insulin it produces effectively so it produces even more and too much insulin makes you fat. T2 makes you fat so please stop blaming yourself. Some fat people never get T2 no matter what they eat. Secondly make sure the doctor does proper tests to rule out other things like thyroid problems.

It's early days for you yet, try not to panic, you may not even be diabetic. When you get your test results come back and tell us them so we can help you.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

You haven't been diagnosed yet, and if you are, you really, really want them to do tests for other types of diabetes than just checking for T2 (C-peptide and GAD antibodies need to be tested for). You're young to get it, and please, please don't blame yourself in this. There's people out there who are morbidly obese and never develop diabetes. It's GENETIC, it was going to be a problem sooner or later, and if you do have T2, insulin resistance can make you have weightproblems *before* T2 develops. It's a chicken-egg thing. I had PCOS (an ovarian cyst and a bunch of other things amount to PCOS, which causes insulin-resistance. You might want to ask for an ultrasound yourself, considering your age, if you have irregular, painful or heavy periods.) and it made me huge. And my dietician kept telling me to up the carbs to ridiculous amounts, while that was exactly what was piling on the weight in my 20's, and got me into the diabetic range in my 30's. So don't blame yourself here. As you put it, being diabetic because you didn't lose weight in time? That's never been the issue. You didn't get the right HELP in time to prevent it, possibly... (As nothing's certain yet!). But this is not, and never was, your fault.

You can have good food. I mean, come on, bacon isn't a punishment, is it? Extra dark chocolate? Steak? Butter, cream, cheese? There are 3 macro-nutrients. If you cut one, up the others, to prevent malnutrition (deficiencies in vitamins, minerals etc), and to keep from feeling hungry all the time. So, less carbs? More fats and protein! (I don't know if you've found this out yourself by now, but dietary fats don't actually make your fatstores grow.).

You CAN go out with your friends and grab a burger (or kebab, of whatever) somewhere. Just tell them to hold the bun. A bun is between 30 to 40 grams of carbs, the meat with all the bits and bobs, salad, tomato, bacon, cheese, maye a bit of sauce, amounts to about 5. And honestly, I prefer it without the spongey bread because it keeps the meat that much juicier.

Check dietdoctor.com for meal ideas, and maybe mrskinnypants.com for low carb/keto fastfood options. Both have been quite useful to me, and might be to you. For now, how does eggs with bacon, cheese, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes or sausages sound? That's low carb (provided the sausages are high-meat content). Pretty filling breakfast right there. Could be lunch though. Salad with tuna, capers and olives, avocado and mayonaise? Or a salad with slightly warmed goat's cheese and a nice vinaigrette? Meat or fish with loads of above-ground veggies? (I always toss cheese and bacon into my cauliflower rice or broccoli-rice. Sauerkraut is good with bacon and sausages too.). Oppo icecream is low-carb, (we don't have it in the Netherlands, or if we do, I haven't found it), and crepes can be made with coconut or almond flour... Not quite the same, but with a bit of Oppo, unsweetened whipped cream, a couple of strawberries or any berry really, it's pretty good, methinks. I fast, skipping one meal a day, so that's an option too. You could just have tea, or if you're hungry, try googling bulletproof coffee. The ingredients sound kindof nausiating, but ye gods, it tastes good. Just avoid things like potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, sugar (duh), fruit (except for berries, avocado and tomatoes), cereal/porridge, potatoes etc... Really, i don't think your friends will mind stealing your fries. I know my husband mind stealing mine. The above kind of meals got me to lose 25 kilo's. I can actually shop at regular-sized-people shops again for my clothes, which I couldn't do for over 10 years. I can walk right past the big ladies aisle. Not to mention that my bloodsugars are in the normal range.

Life isn't over. *IF* you get diagnosed, be sure to get a full work-up. The C-peptides and GAD aren't the standard as they're expensive, but seeing your age I think they're merited. Cholesterol, liverfunction, kidneyfunction, HbA1c, as well as hormones like estrogen and testosterone, as those might indicate PCOS. (And you really want to know if you have that, if you want kids one day. Low carb eating will help with that too, mind you).

Take care of yourself and go armed with as much information as you can. Doctors tend to have a run-of-the-mill approach to diabetes as they see so much of it, it's routine to them, and they do it with their eyes closed more often than not. But it's not routine for you. So come prepared. And always ask for a print-out of your test results. You don't know where you're headed if you don't know where you've been. And if possible, get yourself a glucometer. You want to know what your bloods are doing before a meal and 2 hours after the first bite. (You don't want to be up more from where you started than 2.0 mmol/l, if it's more than that, the meal was carbier than you could handle) Wouldn't be a bad thing to write it all down in combination with what the meals were, as it might give the doc some insight too.

Far as the sudden weightloss goes, you did change your diet so that might have an impact. But if you're feeling seriously unwell or confused/foggy or anything out of the ordinary, test your blood if you can, and call for assistance. Tell them your age and that your doc suspects diabetes, but that the tests haven't come back yet.

Remember, we're not medical professionals here. But we can listen and try to help where possible. Good luck!
Jo

 

[Prem51]

Welcome to the forum @frustration. You say at your last test you were diagnosed as 'almost borderline'. Can you tell us what your HbA1c test figure was? If you don't know you can ask your gp surgery.
Non diabetic is below 42. Pre-diabetic is 42-47. Diabetic is 48 and above.
'Almost borderline' sounds to me as if you were almost pre-diabetic, ie in the non diabetic range, or in the pre-diabetic range just below diabetic. As you have lost 10lbs since then (well done!) you will probably have reduced your blood glucose levels too.

 

[Daibell]

Hi and welcome. It does sound that being obese is the main cause of your forthcoming diabetes together with genetic susceptibility. Keep going with low-carb diet and eventually your insulin resistance should fade and blood sugar come under better control. Getting the Doc to add Metformin may help a little. Note that together with low-carbs you can have proteins and fats as well as fruit & veg so there remains a good choice of foods. Sadly our supermarkets are full of junk carby foods that the food industry wants to sell. We all get used to avoiding some aisles completely and don't miss them.

 

[zand]

I repeat what i said earlier. Obesity does not cause t2. Its the other way round. The first stage of t2 is usually insulin resistance which makes you fat. Unfortunately doctors don't worry about this until our poor bodies can't produce quite enough insulin to keep up. This makes our blood sugars go up. Then we are told we have diabetes.

Yes there is a correlation between obesity and T2, of course there is, but this is not the same thing as causation. You did not make yourself get T2 (if you are in fact T2) .

No wonder the media get it so wrong when even experienced posters here (slim ones of course! ) are happy to blame an obese person for their T2. It is not your fault and if you do have T2 we can help you move forward to overcome any problems you have. Even if you are t2 it's very early days and not too late to change.

 

[johnswife128]

I know how you feel , its almost a grieving process ,for loss of your "old" life. But its not that bad really . My grandson was 4 when diagnosed with type 1(I know you could be type 2 ) . He went through crying to raging until now he just gets on with his life . He eats what he want and does the same as his friends . Just regular checks for blood glucose . But the biggest problem has been people's attitude " oh you ate too many sweets " " oh was he a chubby baby ?" " bet you can't have sugar now ?" . There are lots of reasons for the diabetes in people , and your diet may have adjusted things for you . But if it hasn't then ask gp for info on groups or on here and ask all your questions . Its not going to be the end of the world ..it might feel like it now .. but you are young enough to cope and any slight adjustment . I wish you all the best . And enjoy your pizza etc

 

[JoKalsbeek]

I know how you feel , its almost a grieving process ,for loss of your "old" life. But its not that bad really . My grandson was 4 when diagnosed with type 1(I know you could be type 2 ) . He went through crying to raging until now he just gets on with his life . He eats what he want and does the same as his friends . Just regular checks for blood glucose . But the biggest problem has been people's attitude " oh you ate too many sweets " " oh was he a chubby baby ?" " bet you can't have sugar now ?" . There are lots of reasons for the diabetes in people , and your diet may have adjusted things for you . But if it hasn't then ask gp for info on groups or on here and ask all your questions . Its not going to be the end of the world ..it might feel like it now .. but you are young enough to cope and any slight adjustment . I wish you all the best . And enjoy your pizza etc

(I don't mean to be horrible, but pizza's, for T2's, are as much of nightmare as they are for T1's... If a T1 finds it hard to bolus for, because of the delayed-for-hours-but-still-huge spike, it isn't doing a T2 any favors either. IF there is T2 here to begin with, of course.)

 

[xfieldok]

Pizza? No problem. Look up Fat Head dough on Google. At first I found it awkward to make, the second time I got it right.

For the topping I use tomato paste, no added sugar, and then top with whatever you fancy.

Pull off a piece of dough to make a trial one. You can also add garlic butter to another piece, it makes a good garlic bread.

Let the family have a little taste to see if they like it.

Keep the remaining dough in a plastic bag in the fridge. It will keep for a few days.

Missing cake? Google keto chocolate mug cake. Ready in around 70 seconds if using a microwave. The recipe is enough for 2 ramekins. Serve with double cream.

If you can embrace low carb high fat or keto, not only will your blood glucose improve, your fat should melt away.

I hope you get a good result from your next test. Either way, let us know how you get on.

 

[zand]

@frustration whatever your results say come back to us and we can help you, even if you are not diabetic we may be still be able to help you with weight loss. I'll be thinking of you.

 

[xfieldok]

Just a note. If you start to lose weight, replace your clothes using eBay. Loads cheaper than having to buy brand new clothes every time you drop a size.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome @frustration

Please don't beat yourself up about this possible diagnosis.
There is so much more to life than eating junk food, although I can appreciate that having a diagnosis like this looming over you is horrible, and comments and opinions flying at you from all sides is even worse.

Just take a deep breath and take on board the idea that this won't be an instant fix. You took time to get where you are, and it will take time for a diagnosis to happen, and time for you to adjust to whatever the outcome is.

But PLEASE do not take on board any comments by ANYONE (including yourself) about blame, guilt and other nonsense. Don't let anyone guilt you about food choices and obesity. Don't believe any slim opinionated comments about how you brought it all on yourself. That is just rubbish. You are 16. There is no 16 year old on the planet who hasn't been influenced and educated about food by adults. So at the moment, half (or more) of your beliefs and opinions have been drip fed into your head by people with their own food issues. Don't take their baggage on board. If you have experienced an eating disorder and come through that, then you are already ahead of the head game, and know how undermining insecurity can be. Don't let it get you again.

Clean slate. New day. New choices.

And if you decide that lower carb eating is the way forward, then there are many, many delicious and interesting options, like this:
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/fat-head-pizza
and this:
https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/keto-chocolate-mug-cake/
and this:
https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/60-best-keto-no-bake-desserts-low-carb/
Don't think that you are necessarily heading for a life of miserable denial and social exclusion, cos you aren't.

 

[briped]

Is anyone here my age who's dealing with this? Has anyone felt these things here? Has anyone "reversed" their diabetes and is living normally? I just need hope, or comfort. I'm so frustrated.

I'm 57 now, but was you at 16 and before and after and understand your frustration. I'm sure most of the wonderful people in here do. My mistake was believing that a body is a body is a body, and that I should be able to eat roughly the same as my friends. I'd gain weight and not understand why, then I dieted and lost weight - then gained a bit more. My whole life I've been beating myself up about this, so please do yourself a favour and don't do that to yourself. Instead of giving yourself a hard time take a break while you read this. If I'd read that at 16 I'm sure it would've helped me and made me understand that I wasn't to blame for my weight problems.
The article explains why cutting cals is not likely to help anybody in the long run. Whether you are diabetic or not perhaps you should look into cutting carbs instead of cals, if that's indeed what you do.

https://theconversation.com/what-thin-people-dont-understand-about-dieting-86604

 

[frustration]

Guys, I can not put into words how much this thread comforted me. I've been uncontrollably crying reading this thread, I really really appreciate everyone who replied.

I feel like I've went thorough the seven stages of grief in the span of three days . My results will come back next week, I am crossing my fingers and hoping I don't have it. But if I do, I guess life moves on and I'll do what I can to stay happy.

Again, thank you so so so much, I've been feeling so alone and embarrassed; I haven't even been able to focus on school. I will update everyone once I get my results back, or once I figure out what my original HB1AC were.

On a positive note, I've found motivation to become a pediatrician so other children or teenagers don't have to deal with this.

 

[xfieldok]

Glad you're feeling a little better. When you go for your results, ask for a printout of your results and also your previous results.

If you are offered medication, assuming the diagnosis is T2, ask if they can hold off for three months to see if you can improve by diet.

If you are in the pre-diabetic range, we may be able to help you from developing full blown diabetes.

Whatever your result, we can help you lose weight.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Guys, I can not put into words how much this thread comforted me. I've been uncontrollably crying reading this thread, I really really appreciate everyone who replied.

I feel like I've went thorough the seven stages of grief in the span of three days . My results will come back next week, I am crossing my fingers and hoping I don't have it. But if I do, I guess life moves on and I'll do what I can to stay happy.

Again, thank you so so so much, I've been feeling so alone and embarrassed; I haven't even been able to focus on school. I will update everyone once I get my results back, or once I figure out what my original HB1AC were.

On a positive note, I've found motivation to become a pediatrician so other children or teenagers don't have to deal with this.

@frustration Your wonderful response brought tears to my eyes. The best of luck!

 

[gkyeo]

On a positive note, I've found motivation to become a pediatrician so other children or teenagers don't have to deal with this.[/QUOTE]

Love your decision. In a Utopian world, mother's shouldn't have to worry about anything worse than throwing a dummy away. But to throw away the insulin, the tablets, the glucose testers, now that would be something else.
Go for it. We'll be here high-fiving for you at the hardest times.

 

[frustration]

Hey, everyone! I asked my father about my HB1AC results and they were around 5.6% - 5.7% -- Meaning, I am very close to, or already have pre-diabetes. Although this isn't a thing to be happy about, I can't help but feel like I dodged a massive bullet, and I'm thankful for the wake up call.

Hopefully the ten pounds I burned off are beneficial to my results, although the amount of stress I took over everything definitely isn't.

I do have a few questions. I don't plan on eating like I ate before, especially not until I have 100% average, normal results, but will "reversing" my results mean that I am now, normal? Is my body insulin resistant for the rest of my life, or can I become "normal"?

What I plan to do is lose weight as quickly as possible and maintain that weight for the rest of my life, although not through keto and more through calorie control. I will also be exercising as much as possible. I will eat healthy, unless there are special occasions, hang-outs (don't worry, I don't have enough friends for this to be more than once a week !) or out of control cravings. I have realized that eating good isn't just to be skinny or pretty, it's to be healthy in the long term.

I really can't thank any of you enough. I'm glad this community exists.

 

[xfieldok]

Please forget calories. Everything you have learned about dieting needs to be thrown out of the window.

Carbs are the problem. You need to count carbs not calories. Do a lot of reading on the subject. Get your parents on board.

For most of us, LCHF is now a way of life. Most of us don't find it horribly restrictive, but it is definitely better than the alternative.

Of course we can have the occasional treat, trouble is, we are all different. What works for me, may not work for you.

If you are indeed pre-diabetic, we may be able to turn you around. Don't make any hasty decisions. Ask lots of questions.

 

[Resurgam]

On a couple of occasions recently I have been out to a 'bring some food' event, and have learned that I either keep a separate dish in my bag for myself or eat before I get there, as the low carb foods I took were the first choice of just about everyone there.
Really - low carb foods are the good stuff, and although now, after two years from diagnosis, I could eat more carbs it would mean putting on weight as my insulin works just fine - so I stick to low carb foods.
I began trying to keep to low carb foods way back in the early 1970's but was always told how bad it was, that high carb foods were 'healthy' - yeah right - it would have been so much easier to eat according to Atkins all these decades rather than fighting against weight gain and ill health, but now I am 67 and intend to eat low carb for the time I have left.
I have always tended to put on weight easily all my adult life, so perhaps I was always headed for diabetes - but by controlling my intake of carbs I also control my blood glucose, my weight is less, my shape is altered, and I have so much more energy - it is something I suspect that far more people will come around to - maybe not in my lifetime, but maybe in yours.